Excise Taxes

National

Cigarette sales down, tobacco taxes up only $57 million
Since a voter-approved cigarette tax increase came into effect one year ago in Arizona, cigarette sales have decreased.  The 82-cent tax led to a 31% decrease in cigarette sales.  The tax money primarily funds early childhood education programs, and state money had to be diverted to make up for the lower-than-expected tax revenues.  Read more here.

Smoking Just Got Pricier In LA County
Lawmakers in Los Angeles County have approved legislation that will charge retailers of tobacco products $235 a year for a permit to sell tobacco.  The tax will fund an antismoking campaign for minors.  The bill will also help restrict illegal tobacco sales by requiring retailers to display a permit and implementing a sting operation on tobacco sales to minors, but opponents say that the tax will harm small businesses.  Click here to get more information about the tax.

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International

Taipei, Tokyo Are Most Affordable Cities for Smokers
A study comparing the affordability of cigarettes in sixty cities around the world found that Taipei and Tokyo had the most affordable cigarettes.  The study also found that in half the cities surveyed, price was not a limiting factor for smoking.  Most cities with thriving economies had highly affordable cigarettes, taking the cities’ average daily income into account.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 75-80% of the price of a pack of cigarettes should be tax money, in order to decrease the affordability of cigarettes.  For more details, click here.

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